Council of Trent and other Doctours of the Church of Rome till these last times of Cardinal Cajetan that the Consecration was made by the blessing of Christ upon the bread otherwise saith Christophorus Archbishop of Caesarea lib. de corr Theol. Shol that Proposition This is my body had not been true for if in that time the bread had not been changed by the blessing of Christ upon the bread Christ had commanded his disciples to take and eat bread others with Cardinal Bellarmin tom 3. de Euchar. lib. 2. cap. 11. say that these words This is my body were as they are now the words of the Consecration and if we farther press them to tell us in what time the body of Christ is in the Sacrament under the accidents as they speak they will answer with their angelical Doctor Aqu. p. 3. qu. 75. ar 7. ad 1. that it is when the last syllable um of those words hoc est enim corpus meum is pronounced toto tempore praecedenti substantiâ panis existente being onely before the substance of the bread from whence it appears that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this demonstrates the bread because the last syllable was not yet pronounced when Christ said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this as they confess with us then let us say this bread is my body which obligeth me to pass to the attribute my body We need not to stay long upon the explication of Christs body mentioned in my Text for you are not ignorant that here by the body of Christ you must understand not his mystical body of which it is spoken 1 Cor. 12.27 Eph. 1.23 for the mystical body of our Saviour which is the Church was not given or broken for us but the true and natural body of Christ which was broken and given for her and her children according to that of the Act. 20.28 where you see that Christ hath purchased the Church with his own bloud out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation Rev. 5.9 for you reade in S. Luk. 22.19 this is my body which is given for you and 1 Cor. 11.24 this is my body which is broken for you But for a better illustration of this our assertion we must consider the copula which is the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is which joyneth the subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the attribute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and observe that here it is not taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not properly and in its native signification but figuratively and representatively whatsoever Bellarmine doth say to the contrary for disparatum de disparato propriè dici non potest sed siguratè and therefore when there is any proposition made of two divers and disperate things that proposition must be improper figurative as our Proposition this is my body is for the bread body of Christ being two divers and disperate things that Proposition must be tropical figurative where the cause of it is in the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is taken in this place for to signifie or to be the signe as it is taken often in the Scripture as you may see Gen. 41.26 27. where it is said that seven kine are seven years that is to say signifie 7. years and so Rev. 17.12 we reade that ten horns are ten kings that is to say signifie ten Kings but specially the verb to be is taken in that sense when it is question of a Sacrament as you may see Gen. 17.10 where we read this the Circumcision is my Covenant thas is to say the Circumcision doth signifie or is the signe of my Covenant and in Exod. 12. it is said that the Lamb is the Lords Passover it is the Lords Passover that is the signe of the Lords Passover for the Lamb could not be properly the Lords Passover and so amongst the Jews was called our Saviour as Justin Martyr relates in his Dialogue cum Thryp. for he saith that Esdras speaking to the people said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Passover is our Saviour and indeed that was made ready for Christ by appropriation for he was the lamb slain from the beginning of the world Moreover S. Paul 1 Cor. 10.4 tels us that the rock was Christ which was not in substance but in signification saith the Authour of the quest on Levit. then this is my body is as much as to say this is the signe of my body which is confirmed by S. Austin against the Manichee Adimantinus for saith he Christ doubted not to say this is my body Cum daret siguram corporis sui when he gave the signe of his body nay the Council of Constantinople held anno 756. condemning the images accidentally speaks of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and saith the substance of the bread is an image of our Saviour and the gloss of the Roman decree upon the Canon hoc est dist 2. tells us that the celestial Sacrament which truly represents the flesh of our Saviour is called his body but impropriè improperly for it is so called non in ret veritate sed in mysterii significatione Christ being there represented and signified Now brethren observe that the bread is called the body of Christ by reason of its analogy with it for according to that of S. Austin Ep. 23. ad Bonifacium if the Sacraments had not some likeness or resemblance with the things of which they are Sacraments omnino sacramenta non essent they should not at all be Sacraments ex hac autem similitudine plerumque etiam ipsarum rerum nomina accipiunt and from that resemblance they assume oftentimes the names of those things which they do represent unto us and indeed as the bread received in our bodies nourisheth them so the body of Christ received by faith nourisheth our souls as our bodies encrease and have strength by the eating of the bread so have our souls their growing unto a perfect man unto the measure of the slature of the fulness of Christ and receive their strength against all temptations by the spiritual eating of our Saviour the celestial bread which is the true meat of our souls as the bread preserveth our corporal life so the body of Christ conserves in us the spiritual life as our Saviour teacheth us in the Gospel Joh. 6.53 saying Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye have no life in you where you see that the Union of the Sacramental signe with the thing signified is not local but relative in regard the signe represents to us the things by it signified But although these things are so clear nevertheless those of the Church of Rome will not admit of that explication for they understand by these words this is my body a proper and not figurative proposition which shews us a real Transubstantiation of the substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ remaining onely
agrees not with the Scripture which shews us the ascension of Christ into heaven to be after his death nor can I conceive that it was every where in the state of his exaltation from the very instant of his resurrection or that of his session at the right hand of his Father for if it were so such an alteration in humane nature could not have been without a wonderfull signe as being so prodigious that it cannot be conceived without the destruction of Christs body indeed it is impossible to apprehend a thing circumscribed in a place when it is not in a certain place fully contained but every where in all the places of the superiour and inferiour world which is the manner of being in a place that is attributed unto God privatively to all others for in all the School-Divinity in the old Philosophy and in nature there are but three natural proper waies of being in a place circumscriptivè desinitivè repletivè where you must observe that all corporal substances are circumscriptively in a place all the spiritual but finite substances as angels and souls of men separated from their bodies definitively and God alone is repletively in many places for it is that manner of being in a place by which God is distinguished from his creatures because God not his creatures nec loco includitur nec loco excluditur nec loco circumscribitur nec loco definitur is neither included in a place nor excluded from any Indeed I cannot imagine how it came to pass that the body of Christ which was before in order to a certain place circumscriptively should be now every where and made ex finito non finitum from finite not sinite besides you must know that Christs body is not every where because it is a glorified body for if it were so all glorified bodies would be every where nor because the humane nature is united with the divine to the person of the Son of God for it was so from the very instant of his conception which teacheth us that the body of Christ is not in the bread with the bread and under the bread but if you instance and say then follows the separation of the two natures of Christ I answer that such a thing doth not follow for although the humane nature of Christ be not every where yet the divine nature is and therefore it cannot be separate from the humane nature then it remains that this is my body is nothing else but this bread is the signe and sacrament of my body Now it may be that you will say by all what you have said we cannot well gather how Christ is present in the Sacrament but rather it seems that you deny the presence of our Lord in it To which I answer and say that Christ is present in the Sacrament but you must observe that by the Sacrament I understand the Sacramental action in concreto comprehending the signe and the thing signified according to which sense our Learned Doctours use to say that Christ is not present in the bread but in the Sacrament because in the Sacramental action the thing signified Christ our blessed Saviour is given together with the signe to the beleever but observe that Christ is present in the holy Sacrament not locally but sacramentally significativè spiritualiter virtualiter signisicatively spiritually and virtually for you must know that besides the local presence of a thing of which we have spoken and which we have said was threefold there are also presences of 3. several sorts which are of another nature for there is a symbolical and significative presence which is when a thing is present unto us by some mark or signe as our brother and sister is present unto us by their picture the second presence is a spiritual presence which is when by faith things that are not present locally are made present spiritually as the day of Christ was present to Abraham although it came to pass long after him above 2000 years after as we reade S. Joh. 8.36 where Christ saith unto the Jews Abraham rejoyced to see my day whether it was his birth or his death upon the Cross it matters not he saw it by saith and was glad as now we see and touch Christ for as S. Ambrose de Sacrament lib. 5. c. 4. saith fide langâ—ur side videtur non langitur corpore non oculis comprehenditur Christ the bread of life is toucht by saith and seen by faith and that spiritually not corporally which is consirmed by Christ himself S. Joh. 6. where you may observe against Bellarmin and others of the Church of Rome that Christ speaks de re Sacramenti of the thing signified in the Sacrament the slesh and bloud of Christ which we receive by saith not de ipsis signis of the external signes of it which we corporally and materially receive the third presence is a presence of vertue which is when a thing which is far from a place is nevertheless present by its vertue as you may see in the Sun which being far distant from the Earth yet is present unto it by its vertue Now you must know that all these presences are to be found in the holy Sacrament for Christ with his body and bloud is there present first symbolically and significatively for he is represented unto us by the external signes of bread and wine secondly spiritually because in the spiritual reception of the Sacrament we apply unto our selves the body and bloud of Jesus Christ by faith and so we are united unto him and spiritually nourished with his body and bloud thirdly Christ is present in the Sacrament with his body and bloud virtually for in the worthy participation of the Sacrament we receive the fruit and vertue of his death and passion but observe that the first presence of Christ which is symbolical is given to the wicked but the spiritual and virtual presence to the faithfull although then the body of Jesus Christ is as far from us as heaven is from the earth yet the real Sacramental presence remains for you may know that presentia alicujus rei non opponitur distantiaesed absentiae the presence of a thing is not opposed to distance but absence and so you may see that these presences do not contradict our assertion but do rather confirm it and oblige us to say that this is my body signifies nothing else but this bread is the signe and Sacrament of my body Now let us conclude with Application and learn from thence the great and exceeding affection of our Lord towards us who would not expire upon the Cross before he had given us the precious token of our redemption was it not enough for our blessed Saviour to assume our humane nature to manifest in it his Father unto the corrupted world and propose by it his sacred counsel to sinners Was it not enough for our blessed Saviour to be made flesh with the weaknesses and infirmities
Philosophers called justly man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little world me thinks they had much better said if they had called him the great world for what is in heaven or earth in comparison of him for whom they were created they shall pass as S. Peter tels us 2 Pet. 3.10 but man that noble creature shall remain for ever it is true that the consideration of the Universe gives us a sublime conception of our Creatour but if we consider within our selves we shall see that we are the subject of all the marvellous effects of his providence for in man his admirable power goodness and wisdom did most gloriously appear as the Royall Prophet tels us in the 8. Psalm saying being ravished in admiration thou hast crowned him with glory and honour But man in the estate of his integrity considering himself so glorious pride appeared and sollicited him to sit upon the throne of his master and this glorious creature being overcome by that monstrous sollicitation in his desire to be like unto God did become the most odious of all the creatures and which is the highest of all miseries he became the slave of the Prince of darkness so that of himself he could not return into the favour of his God if God had not sent his blessed Son our onely Redeemer into the world to appease his anger by the satisfaction he gave to his divine justice for our sins which is such a favour unto repenting sinners that they must never be without a sacrifice of thanks-giving Moreover by another effect of his divine goodness God presents unto us the great benefit of our redemption by the continual preaching of the Gospel and confirms and seals it by the administration of the holy Sacraments and especially that of the Lords Supper which is a Sacrament of his death and passion as S. Paul speaks 1 Cor. 11.26 saying as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come which Sacrament is mentioned in our Text for the Evangelist speaking of its institution after the celebration of the Passover saith as they the Apostles were eating Jesus took bread and blessed it broke it and gave it to his disciples saying Take and eat this is my body which words I have chosen to entertain you with by the special assistance of the blessed Spirit and for a clear intelligence of them we shall consider three things in our Text. First the Subject of the proposition this Secondly the Attribute My body Thirdly the copula is which joyneth the Subject with the Attribute This is my body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this which is a demonstrative pronoun is taken in this place not adectively but substantively and for its explanation you must observe that this doth not signifie an uncertain individuum or a substance indefinitely as Aquinas will have it for if it were so this should demonstrate another substance as well as that of the body of Christ neither doth this signifie or demonstrate the predicate the body of Christ as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this should be the same with it as Scotus speaks for if it were so the proposition should be identical should signifie nothing else but this body of Christ is the body of Christ which is absurd nor is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this to be understood of that which had been bread as if some body speaking of that which Moses held with his hand which had been a rod should say this is a serpent or that which was water at the marriage in Cana is wine for if it were so there should have been a sensible conversion of the bread into the body of Christ as there was in the changing of the rod into a serpent and of the water into wine nor is that Pronoun this taken adverbially for hic here as those of the Church of Rome will confess with us for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this is referred to the bread which Christ took broke and gave to his disciples and so demonstrates not a common but sacramental bread where the substance and quality remaining the common use is onely changed into a sacred one as S. Austin doth teach us And it matters not that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bread is of the masculine gender for by the rule of the Grammar when the substantive is understood and not expressed the adjective must be the neuter gender by way of a substantive in those things that are without life and so we may say hoc est terra this thing is earth that is used somtimes in the Scripture as those that understand Greek may see in 1 Pet. 2.19 where the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this is grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being neuter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feminine but it is so clear that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this demonstrates the bread which our blessed Saviour broke and gave his disciples that the grand Apostle S. Paul cals it so 1 Cor. 10.16 the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ and in cha 11. after he had told the Corinthians that he had delivered them that which he had received from the Lord that is the manner of the administration of the Sacrament saith 26 27 28. as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he come wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup c. but let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and if we call antiquity to witness Tertullian will tell us in his Book against the Jews Nos audiamus panem quem fregit Dominus esse corpus Salvatoris Let us hear that the bread which Christ broke is the body of our Saviour which you must understand sacramentally so S. Jerome ad Hebidiam moreover in the same sense Irenaeus lib. 4. cap. 57. saith that our Lord taking bread confessed it to be his body and Theodoret. dial 10. cap. 8. teacheth us that in the exhibition of the mysteries Christ called bread his body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Councils also shew us the verity of our assertion for the 37. Canon of the Code of the Canons of the Councils of Africa tels us that in holy places where Divine Service is celebrated nothing more is offered but the body and bloud of Christ hoc est panis vinum aquâ mixtum that is bread and wine mingled with water so the Council in Trullo at Constantinople with the Council of Neocaesarea which forbids certain Priests to give the bread and cup coram Episcopo before a Bishop And I wonder to hear those of the Church of Rome cavil so much at that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this when they amongst themselves are not agreed upon it for they dispute among themselves about the consecration of the bread which Christ gave his disciples some say with the Greeks as those of the
the accidents that is what you see of the consecrated bread so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this demonstrates the body of Christ sub speciebus vel accidentibus panis under the accidents of the bread for say they this Proposition this is my body is the Will and Testament of our blessed Lord where sigures are not admitted as being something obscure But first I have shewed you that this Proposition this is my body is not a proper saying but a figurative one by the nature of all the Sacraments which are the same in signification and use in the New as they were in the Old Testament as S. Paul evidently teacheth us 1 Cor. 10.23 for saith he they were all baptized in the cloud and did all eat not onely among them but also with us the same spiritual meat and so S. Austin lib. de utilit poenit saith that whosoever apprehended â— Christ in the Manna cundem quem nos cibum spiritualem comederunt did eat the same spiritual meat which we do eat which saying of Austin made such an impression on the Jesuit Maldonat that he said if S. Austin had lived in his time he had changed his opinion seeing that the interpretation of the Protestants which he calls Calvinists is almost the same Maldonat on S. Job 6.50 num 80 81. As for what they say that it is a Testament we confess it with them but we say that the expression of our blessed Saviours Will is figurative and tropical as it doth appear by what we have said and by S. Luk. 22.20 where you read after Christ had said this is my body this cup is the New Testament in my bloud which is confirmed by S. Paul 1 Cor. 11.25 for it is evident that the cup was not the testament and it will not much serve them to say that this passage hath two expressions where the first must be rendred so this is the cup the new testament in mybloud the second this cup is the new testament in my bloud because the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is is exprest in 1 Cor. 11. and omitted in S. Luk. 22. for although in the first expression the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is is taken by them properly because it was a cup that Christ presented to his disciples nevertheless they confess a sigure is in the 2d expression for they say that in that expression the cup is taken for what was in it and that the testament is that by which we have right to the Covenant but it is certain that that which they will have distinct is but the same thing and the same Proposition in that passage of S. Luke of the Corinthians to signifie that the cup or the wine in the cup is the signe of the New Testament confirmed by the bloud of Jesus Christ Concerning tropical locutions which are not admitted as they say in testaments as being something obscure I say that it is not always so seeing that they themselves use them for illustration and it is clear enough that sigures have places in testaments let them consider the testament of Jacob Gen. 49. that of Moses Deut. 33. and that of David 2 Sam. 23. and they shall with us observe them to be allegorical moreover besides the Civilians observe that in mens Testaments there are oftentimes sigurative expressions for which they have some restrictions which cause them to say that in Testaments they must not come to a proper or strict signification of words Cum plerumque abusivè loquuntur testatores seeing that the Testators oftentimes speak improperly I say if the humane Testaments should be so plain that there should be no figures it would not follow that there should be none in divine and spiritual Testaments for in a humane Testament there are nothing but Legacies and express commands which ought to be plainly understood but in a divine and spiritual Testament there are mysteries to exercise our understandings our faith hope and patience as the Learned men most judiciously observe there are some things for this life and some things for the life to come some things are clearly seen and some things darkly perceived Moreover in humane Wills men ought to speak plainly because they can speak no more when they are dead but in the spiritual Testament which is here mentioned the Testator can speak after his death as you know that he did and doth truly know it for Christ after his ascension into the glorious Palace of his Father spâ—ke unto S. Paul who was the grand Persecutour of his sacred members Act. 9.4 5. as now by his holy Spirit he speaks unto us and makes the Church understand as much as he pleaseth and as much as is necessary for the glory of his Father and her eternal salvation By this you may see that our Proposition this is my body importeth nothing else but this bread signifies or is the signe of my body and indeed if the body of Christ were corporally in the Sacrament under the accidents it should there be passible that is subject to alteration and sufferings or impassible that is not subject to any alterations or sufferings but the body of Christ cannot be there passible or subject to any alteration for if it were so he should be there with all his dimensions in order to a certain place otherwise he could not suffer as they will confess with us and so the body of Christ could be divided which they will not grant in the Sacrament saying that it is totum in tota hostia totum in qualibet parte hostiae wholly in the host and wholly in every part of it and although Pope Nicholas forced Berengarius to recant in those words I Berengarius assirm that Christs slesh is sensually handled and broken by the Priests hands in the Sacrament and grinded by the teeth of the saithfull nevertheless they will not admit of that expression and confess it is not so insomuch that the gloss on the Canon de Consecr distinct 2. cap. Ego Berengarius affirms it to be a worse heresie then that of Berengarius unless it be soberly understood for generally they hold that Christs body is in the Sacrament sub speciebus panis impassibly which yet cannot be for if it were so his body had been a glorious body before his resurrection impassibility being one of the chief qualities of a glorious body as they confess with us for you know that Christ did celebrate the holy Sacrament before his death moreover if the body of Christ were impassible under the accidents in the Sacrament I would ask them the Apostles having consecrated at his death whether Christs body had been alive or no in the Sacrament I suppose they will not say that it had been alive for in the same time it had been alive in the Sacrament under the accidents and dead in the grave which is a manifest contradiction nor dead I hope for that should be contrary to their assertion of Christ
of a sensitive life which makes us subject to hunger thirst sorrow and death to redeem those who by their sins were made a sinfull flesh was it not enough for our blessed Saviour to accomplish the law for the elected sinners dye for their sins and rise for their assurance yea we must truly say that it is enough to make us confess the insinite love of our God towards us and exclaim every one of us as the grand Apostle S. Paul Rom. 8. with a great affection towards him who loved us I am perswaded that neither death nor lise nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor beight nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nevertheless our blessed Redeemer knowing that since the fall of Adam in which we have been all corrupted our nature is so weak with its faculties that we cannot well remember those things which concern our salvation hath shewed us another effect of his sacred love he gave us his Word that we may have continually before our eyes Jesus Christ and him crucisied and left us the holy Sacraments and specially that of the Lords Supper to seal unto our souls the great mystery of our redemption that we might remember what Christ did for us upon the Cross for as Christ himself saith S. Luk. 23.19 this doin remembrance of me and S. Paul 1 Cor. 11.26 as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lords death till he comes remember then dear brethren that great and sublime mystery of our redemption that in the reception of the holy Sacraments your souls may be sealed with the sacred seal of the holy Ghost for your eternal salvation But before you come to the sacred banquet of our Lord where his body and bloud is served for our celestial meat and spiritual drink prepare your selves examine your life and consider your inward and outward actions to abhor the sins and corruptions of them that coming with a strong resolution to leave sin and embrace that noble daughter of heaven vertue you may worthily participate of the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Jesus Christ for as S Paul saith 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himself not his neighbour as many pretended Saints do and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Remember that you go unto that sacred banquet with reverence and in the consideration of your sins go with humility for Christ takes a singular pleasure to dwell in the house of an humble Christian if he comes unto Zacheus his house Zacheus must come down first as you read S. Luk. 19.5 Zacheus make haste and come down for to day I must abide at thy house and so S. Jam. 4.6 saith that God resisteth the proud and giveth grace unto the humble Let us come by faith for it is the sacred mouth and spiritual hand with which we apprehend the body and bloud of Jesus Christ as by faith we have a sacred union with our blessed Saviour let us not be Capernaical but Apostolical prepare not your teeth beleeve and thou hast eaten it saith S. Austin do you not say how shall I send my hands and arms to heaven send your faith Moreover remember that you come with a sincere and not hypocritical repentance that you may not be like unto Judas who kissed his Master to betray him for you know that it is by that noble but sorrowfull vertue repentance that we must come unto that sacred banquet of the lamb slain for our sins for we do not come unto that sacred banquet as innocent unto the goodness of our God but as repenting sinners unto his grace but brethren you must be void of envy hatred and malice lest you should take the holy Sacrament to your own condemnation you know that it is a Sacrament of our union nor onely with Christ but also amongst our selves for as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 10 We who are many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread do ye not absent your selves from that sacred banquet lest you entertain communion with the god of this world and conserve in your selves hatred and malice to your own destruction indeed the more you absent your selves from the Sacrament the more will the devil keep you from it so that at last ye will despise the holy Sacrament and procure to your selves a kinde of hardness to sin But further give me leave to beseech you to look upon the meat and drink of that blessed and sacred banquet Christ himself whose body and bloud is precious meat and drink Christ the heavenly bread from whom we draw the spiritual water of wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption for as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctisication and redemption Consider those that serve at that mystical Table the holy Angels they serve but they eat not the meat of that sacred Table is not for them it is onely for repenting sinners which things if you seriously look upon I am sure that you will endeavour with the grace of our God to prepare your selves for a worthy reception of the Lords Supper that you may be partakers not onely of the external signes and Sacramental bread but also of Christ the thing signified by them the heavenly bread who will preserve you from eternal death and bring you into the glorious kingdom of his Father to enjoy after the sacred banquet of grace the glorious banquet of glory Amen TO THE Right Worshipfull Right Vertuous and truly Religious my much Honoured Friend WILLIAM ADAMS Esq Felicity and Peace Sir THE Merit and high Repute of your Civility is as a Voice that is heard not onely in all the places where you have been but in many others also which were not honoured by your Presence Fama volat and indeed wheresoever I come I hear great Commendations of your Worship The world saith and that with Justice that your Piety and Modesty is incomparable and an Example to the Nobility that lives far and near that Temple of Honour where you have your Noble Habitation But Sir give me leave to say that your Learning is not obscure and though you be young in years yet you are old in Prudence Nay I must confess that your Worship is indued with such rare and eminent Qualities that there be few among Persons of Eminency who do enjoy them It is not then without Designe that I am sollicitous to present the Spiritual Kingdom of our Saviour against the Monarchical Reign of our Chiliastes to your most piercing sight for having its Review and Approbation by so clear a Judgement I shall not fear what Eye it may be exposed to for its Censure I hope Sir that you will receive this Sermon although not worthy of your Acceptance the which indeed I dare
to do thy will where you may easily observe that Christ as God sent himself as Mediatour that he might redeem us from the power of the Prince of darkness and the spiritual bondage of our sins Nevertheless because the first Person of the blessed Trinity is the Father of our Mediatour and the Person a quo filius agit from which the Son doth act the sending of Christ into the world for our salvation is particularly attributed unto him as you may see in the 5. Chapter of S. John 36. ver the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me which verily is asserted in many other places of that Gospel and so in that sence we must say my meat is to do the will of him that sent me for indeed you must observe that that person amongst these of the blessed Trinity who sends another is that person from which the person sent proceeds and so we reade in the Scripture that the Father hath sent his Son and the Son misit Spiritum à Patre did send the holy Ghost from the Father but we do not reade that the Son hath sent the Father nor the holy Ghost the Son because the Father proceeds not from the Son nor the Son from the holy Ghost but the Son is from the Father alone and the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and Son then let us say as before My meat is to do the will of him that sent me And indeed you must consider that the Father is Authour of our salvation by a way which is not given to the Son our Mediatour as the Son our Mediatour is Authour of our salvation by a way which is not given to the Father for as the Learned men distinguish some essential operations of the blessed Trinity respectu termini and make them personal operations as the Creation to the Father the Redemption to the Son and the Sanctification to the holy Ghost so they divide the waies by which the Persons of the blessed Trinity are said to be Authours of our salvation for the first Person of the Blessed Trinity which is the Father is said to be the authour of our salvation by way of procuration because he procured us that great work in the sending of his Son and so Christ saith my meat is to do the will of him that sent me the Son our Mediatour is authour of our salvation by way of merit because the Son of God alone is the meritorious cause of our salvation not the Father for he alone acquired it for us through his bloud the holy Ghost is said to be authour of our salvation by way of application because the holy Ghost our Sanctifier applieth unto our souls the great benefit of our Redemption by his divine vertue Now you must observe in our Text the Father to be authour of our Salvation by way of procuration and the Son by way of merit for in my Text the Father sends the Son and the Son our Mediatour finisheth the work and executeth his Fathers will for Christ speaking as Mediatour saith My meat is to do the will of him that sent me c. But let us come to the explication of Gods will and give me leave to say with some Learned men for our illustration that there are three sorts of wills attributed unto God respectu rerum quas Deus vult extra seipsum in regard of things which God wills out of himself I say in regard of things which God wills out of himself for if you consider the object of Gods will as not being out of himself you must know that the object of his will is God himself and by consequence there is no difference in Gods will for it is nothing else but Deus scipsum volens In regard then of things that God wills out of himself the first sort of will attributed unto God and that properly is voluntas decreti the will of Gods Decrees by which he freely and most certainly from all eternity determined to manifest all things which were to be framed in time of which will it is spoken in the 1. Chapt. to the Ephesians the 9. ver when the Apostle saith that God hath made known unto us the mystery of his will that is the will of Gods decree which by the Schoolmen is called voluntas beneplaciti the will of Gods good pleasure because by it according to his good pleasure and without any merit in our selves he loved us voluntas antecedens Gods antecedent will because from all eternity before any thing was created it was approved in God voluntas absoluta Gods absolute will because it is grounded upon his good pleasure and doth not depend of things which are framed in time and voluntas occulta Gods secret will because a a priori at the first it was not revealed unto the sacred Angels nor perceived by men The second sort of will ascribed unto God and that improperly is voluntas signi Gods will of signe by which God shews us what is agreeable unto him and what he will have us to do which is the mark and testimony of Gods decree manifested in his holy word although not always the signe of that decree which is first conceived by us which will indued with several names as Gods conditional will Gods revealed will and Gods consequent will is declared unto us under the prescription of a commandment or prohibition and under the rule of a promise or threatning for as the Magistrates Commands are called their will so Gods Commandments or Promises are called his will as you may see Act. 13.22 I have found David the Son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will or as it is expressed in the Original in regard of several Commandments and Orders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all my wills The third and last sort of will attributed unto is voluntas objecti Gods will of object which is nothing else but the things that God wills commands and prescribes unto us that is the object of Gods Commandments as it doth appear 1 The. 4.3 this is the will of God even your sanctification so in the Lords Prayer when we say thy will be done and in our Text Christ speaking of that will of object saith my meat is to do the will of him that sent me Now to know what is meant by that will we cannot have a better Interpreter then Christ himself who saith in the 6. Chapter of S. John ver 39. This is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day it was that which his Father told him before his Incarnation Isa 42.6 7. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness to open the blinde eyes to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house and you know when Christ prepared himself for